Rhian Sugden has stated that the 2010 sexting scandal with Vernon Kay continues to negatively impact her career, suggesting the consequences were disproportionate.
"People get less of a sentence for murder," Sugden told The Mirror, referencing the enduring attention on the incident. "I'd understand if there'd been a full-blown affair, but there wasn't. Yet somehow, nearly 20 years later, it's still something that follows me around."
Sugden is preparing to discuss the scandal's effects in an upcoming book. She indicated that while Vernon Kay will be mentioned, she anticipates readers may expect more dramatic revelations than the situation warranted.
"I've spent years building a career and businesses that I'm incredibly proud of, and I'd much rather people talked about those than one chapter of my life that refuses to go away," she added.
In 2020, Sugden had claimed the scandal ruined her career, lamenting that Kay seemingly faced fewer repercussions after issuing a public apology on BBC Radio 1. At the time, Kay was forced to apologize to his then-partner Tess Daly after a series of messages to Sugden came to light. He promised to cease contact with Sugden and four other women he had been messaging.
Kay has consistently maintained that the messages were flirtatious banter and that he did not act inappropriately. Sugden previously detailed her perspective in a Channel 4 documentary, stating, "He just got away with it. It ruined everything for me."
She recalled feeling her career was progressing well before the scandal, saying, "I felt like I was going up and up with my career, and then that came along. I wish I'd never met him. He got to give an apology on the radio and just got to carry on, with Family Fortunes, ironically. It still makes me feel sick."
Vernon Kay and Tess Daly announced their decision to separate in May after 23 years of marriage, stating the choice was amicable and that they would continue to co-parent their two daughters.